Gwinnett and Louisville start a four-game series on Friday, June 20 at 7:05 PM at Coolray Field. This will be their second meeting of the season, as the Bats took three of four from the G-Braves last week. Both squads are going in opposite directions, as the G-Braves are 3-7 in their last ten, while the Bats are 7-3 in their last ten games. Louisville is two games up on Gwinnett in the Wild Card standings.

Pitching: Louisville enters the series with the worst ERA in the IL, sporting a 4.85 ERA in 74 contests. However, they have some reliable arms that they will turn to in the series. Chien Ming Wang will take the ball in game two of the series. The former New York Yankee hurler is having a great season with the Bats. He is second on the team in wins, starts and ERA, while leading the squad in innings pitched with 88.1. In his last start against the Gwinnett Braves on June 14, the right-hander tossed 7.1 scoreless en route to his seventh win of the season.

He wasn’t alone in twirling a gem against the G-Braves, as Josh Smith went 7.0 innings of two-run baseball to beat the Braves on June 12. Smith enters the series with the team lead in wins and strikeouts (69). He will pitch the finale.

The G-Braves will try to battle the starting rotation in hopes to avoid Jumbo Diaz in the backend of the bullpen. Standing 6-foot, 4-inches tall and weighing 315 pounds, the right-hander is a big load, but is also the most dependable arm in the pen. In 44 games with the Bats in 2013, he went 3-4 with a 1.66 ERA and 13 of 14 in save chances. He has continued his dominance in 2014, going 2-2 with 18 saves in 30 games.

Gwinnett will counter with Martin, Rodriguez, Schlosser and Maya. Maya has been the G-Braves best hurler this season. On June 17, Maya pitched 6.2 scoreless and allowing five hits to extend his active scoreless streak to 15.1 innings dating back to June 7. He walked two and struck out five in his win over Indianapolis. The right-hander leads the team in ERA and is third in wins.

Batting:Christian Bethancourt and Ozzie Martinez have been the G-Braves most productive hitters in the last ten games. Bethancourt is batting .379 (11-for-29) with one homer and four RBIs in his last seven games, while Martinez is batting .394 (13-for-33) with four runs scored and three RBIs in his last ten games.

While the Braves have scuffled offensively in the last ten games, the Bats offense is taking off. In their last ten games, the Bats have scored 49 runs and hit .297 as a team.

Ruben Gotay and Tucker Barnhart have paced the attack. Gotay is hitting .324 (12-for-37) with one homer and three RBIs over his last ten games, while Barnhart is batting .435 (10-for-23) with two RBIs in his last seven games. Barnhart is 8-for-11 in his last three games.

G-Bites: In the last two days, the Atlanta Braves have recalled Juan Jaime and Ryan Buchter, while the G-Braves added James Hoyt from Mississippi. Hoyt, 27, went 2-2 with a 1.21 ERA (4 ER in 29.2 IP) and six saves in 27 relief appearances for the Mississippi Braves this season. As of his promotion, he led the team in saves, appearances and ERA. Hoyt was signed by the Atlanta Braves organization on November 15, 2012 after spending part of two seasons with three different independent league teams. The Boise, ID native spent his college career at Centenary College (LA).

“Every day is a new opportunity. You can build on yesterday’s success or put its failures behind and start over again. That’s the way life is, with a new game every day, and that’s the way baseball is.” – Bob Feller

The Gwinnett Braves will hit the road and beginning an eight-game road trip with a four-game set against the Louisville Bats at Louisville Slugger Stadium. Gwinnett is coming off a 3-5 homestand, while Louisville returns home after a 4-4 road trip. Louisville enters the series two games behind Gwinnett in the wild card standings.

Martin (Photo credit: Chris Roughgarden)

Pitching: Alex Wood will make his season debut with Gwinnett on Friday night. The left-hander went 5-6 with a 3.43 ERA in 18 games, seven starts with Atlanta this season. The Braves’ second round pick in 2012 out of the University of Georgia, Wood is 8-9 with a 3.26 ERA over 49 career Major League games with Atlanta, including 18 starts.

Wood will be thrown in the middle of three right-handers Schlosser, Maya and Martin. Martin was dominant in his last start, going 6.2 innings in the win over the Rochester Red Wings on Monday night. The Dos Palos, CA native struck out five and allowed one earned run in the contest, snapping his three game losing streak.

The G-Braves will go up against the worst pitching staff in the IL, as the Bats enter the series dead last in the IL in ERA (4.91). Louisville has allowed 355 runs (14th in the IL) and has walked 255 batters (13th).

Josh Smith has been there best pitcher all season. The right-hander is 6-1 with a 3.77 ERA in 71.2 innings. He started the season 6-0, but has struggled in the month of June. In two games during the month, he is 0-0 with a 7.27 ERA in 8.2 innings. He would look to return to his April form (4-0, 2.45 ERA) on Thursday night.

Former G-Braves’ hurler Jair Jurrjens will take the ball on Friday night. In his final season with the G-Braves, Jurrjens went 4-6 with a 4.98 ERA in 14 starts for Gwinnett. He struck out 39 batters in 72.1 innings. He will be making his third start of the season on Friday.

Batting: The G-Braves are lead by Christian Bethancourt. The right-handed hitter is batting .262 (48-for-183) with 11 doubles, one triple, two homers and 28 RBIs in 50 games with the G-Braves. In ten games during the month of June, he is hitting .353 (12-for-34) with three doubles and five RBIs. He leads the G-Braves in hitting, hits (12) and doubles during the month. After going 0-for-1 on June 1 at Rochester, Bethancourt has rattled off a nine-game hitting streak from June 2 through June 10.

The model of consistency for the Gwinnett Braves in 2014 has been Phil Gosselin. The infielder has batted .326 (75-for-230) with 16 doubles, three triples, one homer and 16 RBIs. He leads the team in hitting, doubles and triples.

Louisville will rely on Ruben Gotay on offense. In 61 games with the Bats, he is hitting .267 (64-for-240) with 13 doubles, one triple and 42 RBIs.

In addition to Gotay, Neftali Soto will look to provide another quality bat for the Bats. With injuries at the big league level Soto began the season with Cincinnati Reds. However, after a slow start he was optioned to Louisville on May 24. Since joining the Bats’, he is batting .322 (19-for-59) with one homer and five RBIs.

““It’s forgiveness that makes us what we are. Without forgiveness, our species would’ve annihilated itself in endless retributions. Without forgiveness, there would be no history. Without that hope, there would be no art, for every work of art is in some way an act of forgiveness.” Gregory David Roberts

The G-Braves finished off their current road trip on a sour note, as they dropped the finale in Pawtucket 5-4. After leading 4-0 through 6 ½ innings, the Red Sox scored five unanswered runs to clip the Braves. Bryce Brentz ended it in dramatic fashion, as he hit a walk-off three-run homer against Wirfin Obispo to clinch it for the PawSox. The Braves did finish a nice road trip though, going 4-4 and snapping their 14-game losing skid.

Hitting- Joey Terdoslavich enters the fold hitting .327 (54-for-165) with seven dingers and 26 RBI. He leads the International League in doubles (15), is second in hits (54) and four in extra base-hits (23). In four games against the Bats in 2013, he is hitting .438 (7-for-16) with a homer and two RBI… Jose Constanza increased his hitting streak to a league-high 13 games last night. After a dismal start, he has caught fire of late, raising his average to .275 (28-for-102). He is tied for third in the IL with three triples.

Pitching-
The Braves staff ranks ninth in the league in ERA with a 4.04 mark. However, their biggest concern has been free passes. They lead the league with 186 walks and have hit a league-high 24 batters. It has not served well at the end of games, as the Braves have six blown saves… RHP Brandon Beachy will make a rehab start on Sunday afternoon for the G-Braves. He will make his first professional appearance since undergoing “Tommy John” Surgery in 2012. He is slated for the 2:05 PM start on Sunday.

G-Bites-
The Braves are currently tied for third place in the South Division and are 13.5 games back of the Norfolk Tides.

Louisville Bats
The Bats have not enjoyed the 2013 campaign either. They hold a 20-22 mark and are currently 9.5 games back of the Indianapolis Indians in the West Division. Louisville is on a two-game losing streak and is 5-5 in their last 10.

Hitting-
Felix Perez leads the offense, hitting .308 (45-for-146) with five homers and 25 RBI. The outfielder has been exceptional with men in scoring position, posting a .313 (10-for-32) clip with one homer and 20 RBI… Fellow outfielder Billy Hamilton has been the beneficiary of the production, as he leads the squad in runs scored (21). The speedster also leads the IL in stolen bases with 21. Last season, he set the Minor League record by amassing 155 bags in his stints with High-A Bakersfield and Double-A Pensacola.

Pitching-
The Braves will miss the overpowering Tony Cingrani (1-0, 0.00 ERA) in the series. The left-hander is not scheduled to pitch this weekend. However, they will have their hands full with right-handers Greg Reynolds and Chad Reineke. Reynolds comes into the series a perfect 3-0 with a 2.92 ERA. Saturday will be his first start of the season against the Braves. On the other hand, Reineke faced the Braves at home on 4/25. He was sharp, hurling 7.0 innings of shutout baseball. He did not factor in the decision, as his team dropped the game 1-0. On the season, he is 3-3 with a 4.10 ERA.

Bat Sounds-
The Bats dropped three of four at home against the G-Braves in April. However, they hold the all-time mark at 16-15.

The Gwinnett Braves return home to Coolray Field for an eight-game homestand that will begin on Monday, August 6 and conclude on Monday, August 13. The G-Braves will host the International League South’s second place club, the Norfolk Tides (August 6-9) for the first four games, then will welcome former G-BraveTodd Redmond back to town with his new team, the Louisville Bats (August 10-13) for a four-game series.

Gwinnett outfielder Stefan Gartrell is on fire at the plate, having hit .395 with six home runs and 14 RBIs in July. His steady teammate and 2012 All-Star Ernesto Mejia leads the team in most offensive categories including home runs (22) and RBIs (75). Jose Constanza and his IL-best .324 batting average is back with Gwinnett after a brief call-up to Atlanta. Constanza broke the Gwinnett Braves franchise record with a 22-game hitting streak the last time he was in Lawrenceville. Gwinnett’s starting rotation hasn’t looked more dominant than it has lately with the added presence of Randall Delgado, who is coming off a 10-strikeout win against the IL South leading Charlotte Knights. Atlanta’s first round pick from 2011, left-hander Sean Gilmartin made his Triple-A debut with Gwinnett on the road trip and is currently slated to make his home debut on Friday, August 10 vs. Louisville.

The upcoming homestand features plenty of discounts and activities, including “Bike Night” on August 8, WAGA Fox 5 Friday Fireworks and “Beach Night” on August 10 and “Outdoor Night” featuring a Tailgate Stool giveaway sponsored by Charter Business and Telemundo on August 11.

Kids Eat Free Monday – All kids 12 and under will receive a voucher for a free hot dog, a bag of chips and a small soda.

11Alive Olympic Broadcast – 11Alive will be hosting a live Olympic broadcast from 5 to 6 PM. Come at 4:30 PM and have a chance to be on live TV, giving reaction to the events and even participating in Olympic Trivia! Paid admission is required for participants.

Winning Wednesday – Attend our Wednesday game for a chance to win big. If the G-Braves are victorious, everyone in attendance will receive a special discount offer on future game tickets presented by Georgia Lottery.

Baseball Bingo – The first 1,500 fans through the gates will be able to participate to win prizes.

Bike Night – Motor on over to Coolray Field for a pre-game ride around the field and enjoy the motorcycle vendors on the concourse. All participants in the ride around the field must have an Infield Box ticket. Please call 678-277-0350 for more details.

Beach Night – Put on your hula skirts and coconuts to join us for Beach Night. The Gwinnett Braves will get tropical with beachy music, movie clips and plenty of fun music to keep you dancing all game.

Fox 5 Friday Fireworks – Join us for a spectacular fireworks display that will light up the sky immediately following the G-Braves game.

Outdoor Night/Family Campout – Join the G-Braves for Outdoors Night, as we welcome families to campout on the field after the game. Call the Group Sales office (678) 277-0340 for more details. All participants must fill out a form.

Tailgate Stool Giveaway – First 2,000 fans through the gates will receive a G-Braves tailgate stool.

Family Sunday – Bring your ball and glove for a pre-game catch in the outfield starting when the gates open and lasting for 20 minutes. All kids 12 and under will get to run the bases following the game.

Summer Safety – The Gwinnett Braves will be recognizing organizations that fund or run safety programs for children.

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